Tikka T1x - did I clean it correctly??

quikcolin

quikcolin

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Hey gang,

I’m new to shooting, and just received my T1x .22LR. Bought an Otis cleaning system for it (.22 specific) and spent over an hour cleaning the barrel tonight following the Otis cleaning instructions ��. Tell me it doesn’t normally take this long.

I literally used these patches 3 times each (see photo). I ran the CLP patch/bore brush/dry patch through the barrel a total of 18 times before it was coming out “remotely” clean ��. I then decided to call it.

Is that normal? It’s brand new rifle from the factory. I stopped as I didn’t want to damage the barrel (not sure if you can even do such a thing?). It was pretty darn dirty!

Anyhow, the rifle is beautiful. I have a Mountain Tactical 20 MOA picatinny rail mounted and a Vortex Diamondback Tactical 6-24x50. I had a set of rings that fit perfectly!!! Couldn’t have worked out better ��.

I also adjusted the trigger to 2lbs, cleaned/lubed the whole thing with G96. When I pulled it out of the box the bolt wasn’t very smooth. I cleaned everything up, lubed the bolt and now it’s like butter!

Can’t get over how much smaller it is than the T3x I just bought.

I can’t wait to get out and shoot this little monster :)

Gun2_zpsjnc37jy6.jpg
 
45CAT said:
You think that is “mucky” wait till you clean a CZ
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I literally had no idea if it was normal or not? I was worried I was going to wear out the barrel running the brush through that many times.... Sounds like it's normal for a new barrel to be dirty then?
 
Don’t run the brush through that often. Couple of swipes with it, then oily patches, then dry patches, wet patches, dry patches. Also look at plastic bristled brushes as well as the brass or stainless.

Will it be this difficult next time? No. You’re cleaning the factory rust inhibitor out of it and that stuff is a pain.go a little overboard and clean it thoroughly for the first couple of trips but after that, only clean the barrel when you see accuracy drop off. But clean the chamber, the bolt, the trigger group, etc, more often if you feel inclined.
 
ScottMisfits said:
Don’t run the brush through that often. Couple of swipes with it, then oily patches, then dry patches, wet patches, dry patches. Also look at plastic bristled brushes as well as the brass or stainless.

Will it be this difficult next time? No. You’re cleaning the factory rust inhibitor out of it and that stuff is a pain.go a little overboard and clean it thoroughly for the first couple of trips but after that, only clean the barrel when you see accuracy drop off. But clean the chamber, the bolt, the trigger group, etc, more often if you feel inclined.
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Understood, thanks for that. Do you think it’s possible I damaged the barrel pulling the brass brush through that many times?
 
I wouldn't worry about any damage. Do not use anything harder than brass; NO stainless brushes, etc.
Looks like a lot of preservative in the bbl. Once it has cleaned up you should see a lot less staining on your patches from regular shooting. I use MPro7 products; just my preference.
 
You don't need to clean a 22LR very often and most of that well intended cleaning will do more harm than good.

Be careful not to love it to death.

Centerfire does need to be cleaned often enough... opinions vary as to how often depending upon the shooting discipline.

Also keep in mind that when you clean any barrel in any caliber... it takes shots fired to season the barrel again and until you do, you cannot count on best accuracy.

Think about the coefficient of friction between a clean steel barrel & bullet vs barrel coated with a fine layer of bullet material / lube.

Many center fire rifles will settle down after 3 to 5 shots after a good cleaning, but a 22LR can take 100 or more.

Also you need to use a plastic coated cleaning rod... never the abrasive aluminum junk you'll find at Canadian Tire... Yes aluminum is highly abrasive.
 
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45Auto said:
I wouldn't worry about any damage. Do not use anything harder than brass; NO stainless brushes, etc.
Looks like a lot of preservative in the bbl. Once it has cleaned up you should see a lot less staining on your patches from regular shooting. I use MPro7 products; just my preference.
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That makes me feel better... I had a sick feeling all morning thinking I had done damage to the barrel.
Funny, I literally ordered a bottle of MPro 7 a few days ago - the reviews are really strong.

Maple57 said:
You don't need to clean a 22LR very often and most of that well intended cleaning will do more harm than good.

Be careful not to love it to death.

Centerfire does need to be cleaned often enough... opinions vary as to how often depending upon the shooting discipline.

Also keep in mind that when you clean any barrel in any caliber... it takes shots fired to season the barrel again and until you do, you cannot count on best accuracy.

Think about the coefficient of friction between a clean steel barrel & bullet vs barrel coated with a fine layer of bullet material / lube.

Many center fire rifles will settle down after 3 to 5 shots after a good cleaning, but a 22LR can take 100 or more.

Also you need to use a plastic coated cleaning rod... never the abrasive aluminum junk you'll find at Canadian Tire... Yes aluminum is highly abrasive.
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Good advise and thank you very much. I'm going to clean the barrel of my new T3x tonight, only using the brush once, all wet patches and dry patches until it's clean.
 
As indicated, that gunk is the rust preventative and it sticks like glue. I do the FIRST cleaning using Aerosol brake cleaner to get rid of this oil. Go to white patches, it might take a few patches.. no need or benefit of using a brush as you are removing a "grease/oil" not a solid.

Then never clean that much ever again.

I focus on the chamber and throat mainly if seeing some extraction issues. The bore gets a dry swab now and then... that's it.

If you need more then 5 to 10rds to settle down a rimfire bore, you have cleaned too much.

Jerry
 
Mystic Precision said:
As indicated, that gunk is the rust preventative and it sticks like glue. I do the FIRST cleaning using Aerosol brake cleaner to get rid of this oil. Go to white patches, it might take a few patches.. no need or benefit of using a brush as you are removing a "grease/oil" not a solid.

Then never clean that much ever again.

I focus on the chamber and throat mainly if seeing some extraction issues. The bore gets a dry swab now and then... that's it.

If you need more then 5 to 10rds to settle down a rimfire bore, you have cleaned too much.

Jerry
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Thanks for this, Jerry. Do you suggest I just run it as is (with some of that rust preventative gunk still in there), or just shoot it? I do have brake cleaner on hand in the garage...
 
Take the extra couple of minutes and flush that gunk out of the barrel. right now, it is acting like an obstruction. Like water, oil is not compressible.

No good karma shooting over this stuff.

I wonder how many barrels have been ruined over the years by shooters skipping this step??????

Jerry
 
Mystic Precision said:
Take the extra couple of minutes and flush that gunk out of the barrel. right now, it is acting like an obstruction. Like water, oil is not compressible.

No good karma shooting over this stuff.

I wonder how many barrels have been ruined over the years by shooters skipping this step??????

Jerry
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I'll hit it with the brake clean tonight then. Just a few sprays down the barrel and then dry patch until clean? Then run some CLP in the barrel to clean it all up and lubricate?
 
When you get a new rifle the bore usually has preservatives and it's blued inside and out. Both will come out dirty. As suggested above, use something wet to clean out the stuff, something like CLP, bore cleaner, or even brake cleaner. Perhaps not as effective, gun oil will work. Always clean from the breech. Use patches on a jag. After a few wet ones, follow with a couple of dry patches. Be careful not to use a patch so big that it gets stuck in the bore. Avoid segmented cleaning rods as they are more prone to break or have the edges at the joints rub along the bore. One piece rods are the way to go. When you can get one, get a bore guide. It goes in place of the bolt and keeps the cleaning rod centered so as to minimize the risk of damaging the chamber with the cleaning rod.
 
I put about 50 rounds through my T1X without cleaning it. Just read this thread and tried the brake cleaner idea followed by some Hoppes # 9. Took 4 patches before they came out clean. Hopefully I’ll hit the range today and I’ll see if there’s any difference in how it shoots.
 
Mystic Precision said:
As indicated, that gunk is the rust preventative and it sticks like glue. I do the FIRST cleaning using Aerosol brake cleaner to get rid of this oil. Go to white patches, it might take a few patches.. no need or benefit of using a brush as you are removing a "grease/oil" not a solid.

Then never clean that much ever again.

I focus on the chamber and throat mainly if seeing some extraction issues. The bore gets a dry swab now and then... that's it.

If you need more then 5 to 10rds to settle down a rimfire bore, you have cleaned too much.

Jerry
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Wish I thought about that when I was cleaning my new Citori. The rust preventative in the barrels was a pain to get out.
 
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